What to Serve with Stuffed Peppers: The Search for The Ultimate Combination!

While one can argue that stuffed peppers are already a great dish that can stand all by itself, you’d be missing out on a lot of quite exquisite dishes. Stuffed peppers can be coupled with a lot of things. One of the simple yet very great supplements that go with stuffed peppers are boiled potatoes, but there are plenty of alternatives that we’ll be discussing in this article.

We’ve compiled a varied list of things you could add with stuffed peppers, each having its own taste and improving the gustatory experience in its own, unique way. No matter your personal preference, you’ll be able to find something that you like here

Recommended Stuffed Peppers Recipe

In order to make sure we’re all on the same page, we’ve decided to provide our own recommendation for the recipe of the main dish before we move on to the details. A solid foundation is crucial no matter the domain! This recipe will provide you with the optimal experience and is tailored to go with all the foods we’ll be citing in the article.

You don’t have to follow this exact recipe to get a good result if you have a trusty recipe to go to, you can do that. Yes, even if you’re using a Spanish Cookbook.

After you’ve acquired the ingredients mentioned above, here’s how to prepare the stuffed peppers:

First, place the rice in one of your Sauce Pans, pour the two cups of water over it and boil it all over a high temperature. Once it starts to boil, proceed to lowering the heat to medium-low, then cover the rice and leave it to simmer for roughly twenty minutes, by that point, it should become tender, and all the water would have already evaporated. After that’s been done, set the rice aside for now.

Next, it’s time for the sauce. Pour the Olive Oil in a skillet using your Olive Oil Dispenser then proceed to cooking the onion over medium temperature till it softens, the process should last no more than five minutes. Next, set half of the cooked onion on the side, then add marinara sauce, the vinegar, and beef broth, along with the red pepper flakes over the other half. Leave it to cook for a couple of minutes while stirring the mix for the whole duration. After that’s been done, pour the mix into a 9 by 13-inch dish and set it aside as well.

Now it’s time to move on to the stuffing mixture. Grab a large bowl in which you’re going to put the onions that have set aside before. Add Italian sausage and ground beef and mix them together. After that, add in the garlic, tomatoes, parsley, salt along with the cayenne and black pepper and stir everything till you get a somewhat homogenous mixture. Having done that, combine the obtained mix with the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and the cooked rice, and you’re all set for the next step which is stuffing the peppers.

Last but not least, the peppers need to be stuffed. Just stuff the green bell pepper halves one by one then put them in the plate containing the sauce that you’ve prepared earler. Next, add Parmigiano-Reggiano on the top, and cover the bowl with aluminum foil. After that, proceed to bake it in the oven which had been pre-heated to 375 degrees F (or 190 degrees C). After 45 minutes, take off the aluminum foil and proceed to bake again, uncovered, for about another twenty minutes. When you’re done, the cheese on top should have become brownish in color, and the peppers should be tender.

Before we move on to the next section of the article, here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

It’s not necessary to go with the green bell peppers. You can go with whatever color you want. If you find green bell pepper to be a bit on the bitter side, you can always opt for a sweeter taste by using ripe orange or yellow peppers to make for a more delicious flavor. It all comes down to personal preference, so don’t hesitate to customize this recipe to your liking.

Do keep in mind that stuffed peppers provide a massive calorie intake, more than 300 calories in each serving. So try not to overdo it with this recipe and keep it in moderation as with all other things in life.

The Benefits of Eating Bell Peppers:

Not only is bell pepper delicious, but it’s also very nutritious. It’s important not to forget that bell peppers are at the end of the day, vegetables, so eating them will count towards your vegetable intake, helping you reach the recommended daily amount. Bell peppers are also a great source of:

Vitamin C

Just like all peppers, bell peppers make for a great source of vitamin C. It’s probably one of the most mentioned vitamins and for a good reason too. Vitamin C plays a significant role in keeping your body healthy. It gives you more energy and also helps maintain healthy body tissues.

In addition, Vitamin C accelerates the production of collagen, which is a protein that turns your skin brighter and makes you appear younger. Furthermore, collagen holds the ligaments, bones, connective tissue, and tendons in your body. A single cup of chopped green peppers contain upwards of 120 milligrams of this vitamins. On the other hand, one cup of chopped red bell peppers includes 190 milligrams which might incentivize the use of red over green bell peppers for stuffing.

The Office of Dietary Supplements reports that the daily recommended dose of vitamin C is 75 milligrams for women and 90 milligrams for men. Having done the math, one bell pepper per day should keep the doctor away!

Vitamin A

While not as equally known as vitamin C, vitamin A is as vital to our bodies as vitamin C is. Bell peppers are a great source of beta-carotene that is, in turn, a source of vitamin A. Usually, you can tell how much beta-carotene is contained in a bell pepper by looking at its color. Green bell pepper usually includes about 551 international units of vitamin A per cup, while red bell peppers contain 4,665 international units of vitamin A per cup which is more than 8 times that of the green peppers. It’s also the entire daily need of vitamin A. another incentive to use red bell pepper instead of green bell pepper.

Another thing to know about vitamin A is that it helps maintain healthy eyesight. A lack of vitamin A can lead to poor vision at night and even complete blindness when in darker areas.

Vitamin A also helps in the metabolism of new blood cells by speeding up the circulation.

Fiber:

Bell peppers are an excellent source of fiber, which is essential to maintain a reliable metabolism rate and staying fit and healthy. Fiber also helps control the cholesterol and blood sugar levels, along with promoting proper digestion and preventing constipation.

A single cup of chopped green bell pepper is estimated to contain about 2.5 grams of fiber while the same container filled with chopped red peppers has around 3.1 grams. The recommended daily fiber intake is approximately 14 grams per 1,000 calories.

Before moving on to the next section, here’s something to keep in mind:

Stuffed bell pepper is not the only meal you can make with bell pepper, so don’t use it as an excuse for eating an excessive amount of stuffed peppers. One of the many merits of bell pepper is its versatility. It can be used in many dishes, and can even be eaten raw if you so desire. If you’re wondering about where you can put bell pepper in your meals, you can put it in soups, salads, hummus, and you can roast them in order to be put in sandwiches.

With all of that out of the way, we can finally begin to focus on what you can pair stuffed bell peppers with!

Finding The Perfect Combination For You:

If you choose to follow our recipe, which is stuffing peppers with rice and meat, then it’s best to follow it with a lighter dish. Something like a salad should suffice. Of course, there are plenty of other options, let’s take a look at them:

#1 – Beverage

If you’re unable to prepare something to go along with stuffed peppers, be it due to a lack of time or any other fact, you can always choose to go with a beverage that can go perfectly with the flavor that the stuffed peppers offer. Sweet wine right from the Wine Fridge usually goes perfectly with stuffed peppers, so maybe it’s time to get your Wine Opener from the attic.

#2 – Green Beans

Probably one of the simplest supplements to prepare alongside stuffed peppers, green peppers make for a great accompaniment to stuffed peppers. The method of preparation of the beans should not differ from how you usually go about preparing them. After adding the beans, top it all off with some of the sauce that you had earlier prepared from the recipe and voilà! You have yourself one wholesome, tasty meal!

While we’re on the subject of wines, the best wine to couple with the stuffed pepper is red wine. the reason behind this choice is the fact that the sweetness of red wine goes exquisitely with the sweet flavor of bell peppers

If you’re looking for a simpler alternative beverage, you can always go with beer. You might think that the bitter taste of beer would clash with the sweet flavor of the stuffed peppers, but polar opposites attract and it couldn’t be truer in this case as the two mix exceptionally well together!

#3 – Fried Potatoes

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, boiled potatoes are a great accompaniment to stuffed peppers, but potatoes are also magical and can be good in any shape or form be it boiled, baked or fried. Just add the right spice, and you’re all set to go. You can add butter to them to make them crunchy. On the other hand, if you prefer a healthier option, you can always go with boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes with cauliflower. All options are excellent.

#4 – Crunchy Salad

You can contrast the soft and tender texture of the stuffed peppers with a more harsh and crunchier texture to create a good balance. You can never go wrong with crunchy salad in this case.

You can go with any type of salad as long as it’s crunchy. No matter the type, as long as it’s spun well in the Salad Spinner, salad will complement the meat and rice and make for a varied dish.

#5 – Pasta

Just like green beans, Pasta is a simple compliment to prepare. Just follow the instructions from your Pastry Cookbook, add in some butter, add some sauce on top and put a stuffed pepper to top it all off. This is very popular with kids as is anything that involves pasta.

Summary

There is no ultimate compliment to go with stuffed peppers, there are plenty of good options though. Your choice will ultimately vary depending on the circumstances you’re in. Creativity is the name of the game, and no one can tell you what to do and what not to do. If you fancy buying a bag of chips and eating it with the stuffed peppers, then more power to you. Seriously, you should try that, it’s good!

If you have any additional combinations that haven’t been mentioned on this list, then feel free to post them in the comments, and everyone will be thankful!